


So Glad You Could Join Me

by captain_starcat



Category: Red Dwarf
Genre: Bickering, Bitchy fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, but really could be anytime post B2E, in my head this is set somewhere post series XI, inevitable space gay [tm], might be romantic if you tilt and squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 17:19:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19024435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_starcat/pseuds/captain_starcat
Summary: There, he’d gotten it all out. Now if he was lucky, he could make it out of the room before Rimmer got his brain restarted.





	So Glad You Could Join Me

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Desperate Measures](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7162220) by [Tosa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tosa/pseuds/Tosa). 



> look I finally girded my loins and heart and finished sXII and had a lot of Big Feels about the end of it all, and, after binging huge amounts of fic over the course of a week, I woke up today and this happened. I love these dipshits so, so much, u guys~
> 
> Credit where due: one or two things have been lovingly borrowed from Desperate Measures, by Tosa, which is a completely different and much better fic. ;)

Wiping sweaty palms on his trousers, Lister peered around the doorway of the bunkroom. Rimmer was perched on the lower bunk with a book open, making his if-I-understood-what-I-was-reading-I’d-feel-superior-but-I-don’t-so-I-just-pretend face. Good. Perfect.

Lister came up and sat next to him. Rimmer didn’t move, except to intensify The Face. Lister cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Hey,” he said. Rimmer hummed slightly, but kept fake-reading. Lister took a deep breath, leaned over, put a hand on his bunkmate’s cheek, and kissed him on the mouth.

The book went flying. Rimmer somehow sprung away without standing up, eyes wide and fingers over his mouth.

“What?” he squeaked. “Lister, what are you doing? What was that for?!”

“Look, man,” Lister began, avoiding eye contact, “we’ve been out here for so long now, 3 million years from everything, from people, from life—and that includes love, you know? And we’ve seen a lot together, and been there for each other—sometimes—and to be honest, you drive me completely bleedin’ spare, all the time, but—I care about you, Rimmer, and I couldn’t imagine doing this without you. The endless slog through space, and all. Well, actually I can, because I tried, that one time, and it was shit. I missed you when you were gone. Like, really missed you.” He risked a look at the hologram.

Rimmer looked mildly pained. “That wasn’t actually—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that you matter to me, and… I wanted to show you, like,” Lister said, standing up with a sigh. “Look, I just came in here to say that. I gotta go see whether the Cat’s got the new mini-golf course set up or if he’s just gone and broken the sprinkler system again.” There, he’d gotten it all out. Now, if he was lucky, he could make it out of the room before Rimmer got his brain restarted.

No luck, he barely made it past the table.

“I knew it!” Shaking off the shock, Rimmer stood up and pointed. “You’ve finally gone space gay! All these years in deep space, surrounded by men and the occasional impressively-unavailable woman, and you’ve finally snapped. I knew this would happen!”

“Rimmer, what are you on about, of course I haven’t gone space gay. That’s not even a thing!”

“Oh yes it is. What do you call this, then?”

“I was saying, that even though you’re _such a smeghead_ , I care about you, is all.” Lister turned to leave again.

“Definitely space gay,” Rimmer said in a smug singsong from behind him. Lister turned back, and found his bunkmate had come closer, close enough to touch.

“Piss off,” Lister grumbled, cheeks heating as he plotted an escape route. He kicked himself for letting his gigantic soppy streak trick him into thinking this could ever be good idea. He looked up when he felt Rimmer’s hand on his arm, looked up into flared nostrils and triumphant hazel eyes.

“I can’t believe it! I’ve been waiting _years_ for this, you know,” Rimmer crowed. “And you’ve finally succumbed!”

“What, you’ve been _waiting_ for me to go space gay?!” Lister demanded, voice rising an octave as he pulled away.

“Of course I have!” Rimmer snapped.

“What??” Lister sputtered again.

“Well, it’s an obvious side effect of the stress and isolation, isn’t it? And, obviously, I lost that battle myself, back _ages_ ago. I’ve been waiting for you to catch up already.”

“So—wait—hold on—” Lister tried. “You…?”

“I expected this sooner or later, Listy,” Rimmer sniffed dismissively. His eyes were soft.

Lister wasn’t totally sure what was going on. As Rimmer awkwardly advanced with twitching lips, broadcasting uncertainty, he could only blink. And—okay, apparently it was Lister’s turn to be gobsmacked by a kiss.

He put his hands on Rimmer’s shoulders and pulled away, but not far.

“You utter gimboid, you could have just _said_ you fancied me back,” Lister said, glaring.

“I did!” Rimmer protested. “That’s what I was just saying! I was clearly telling you—”

“Oh, shut it, Rimmer,” Lister said, leaning in again, awash in the warm, tender annoyance the hologram always managed to inspire.

Rimmer leaned in to meet him, a small weaselish grin on his face. “Make me.”

And Lister did.


End file.
